Close to You
by EternityRoze262
Summary: I pushed away the thought and meaning of "goodbye" from my mind. Because I wanted it to continue forever. I want to be close to you forever and always.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! Roze here; I've finally returned after many months (years?) on hiatus. After reading numerous amounts of beautifully written fanfictions recently, I was suddenly motivated beyond words to write again! For those of you who happen to be strict when it comes to certain shippings, I only ask of you to keep an open mind. You're free to have opinions, but my mind works in disastrous wonders, so whatever chaotic situation happens, will happen. Just like how life works. Rated T for language and some minor(ish?) adult themes. I'm not sure if I'll up it to M yet. Enjoy~

* * *

**Close to You**

By EternityRoze262

**x - x - x**

Prologue

When Gary heard a distant rapping coming from his front door, the last thing he wanted to do was stop in the middle of his make-out session to see who it was.

"Mmm- Did you invite some other woman over besides me?" asked the woman lying beneath Gary. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in closer, hoping he wouldn't let that uninvited guest interrupt their session.

"No one that I know of," the young man answered with a smirk. "It doesn't matter anyways. Whoever it is will go away." He placed another soft kiss on her neck, ignoring the heavy knocking.

"Gary Oak! Open the door this instant! I'm not leaving until you do!" A female muffled voice sounded from the front door.

"Ugh, she sounds pretty desperate. You sure she's gonna leave?" the woman noted in annoyance.

"Shhh," Gary reassured as he trailed kisses down to her chest, making her sigh in delight. However, the constant knocking wouldn't cease. Instead the noise began to transform from knocking to pounding. Hell, by the way the woman was pounding anyone would have expected the door to already be broken down.

"GARY OAK!" the same voice repeated, this time as a menacing shout.

With a loud sigh, the young man slowly pulled himself away from the attractive women, never laying his eyes off of her. "I'll be back, sweetheart. It's probably another woman who's madly in love with me," he stated confidently, stepping onto the floor to search for his pants.

"Should I come with you and let her know we're busy?" the woman prompted, crawling to the edge of the bed to better meet his gaze.

"Don't," he insisted giving her a peck on the lips. "I'll take care of this quickly and then we can continue." He found his pants and sloppily pulled his legs through them, adjusting them to his fit as he scampered down a flight of stairs to reach the front door. In one swift movement, Gary pulled open the door to find a toddler being shoved into his arms.

"Here. Take her. I'm leaving her in your hands to care for," the woman spoke in such a rush that Gary almost didn't catch what she was saying. His automatic response led him to hold the child in his arms. He had no time to attempt refusing her request before she pushed a huge baby bag towards him. "I left a brief note in here with some information. All her health papers, birth certificate and everything are in here. I'll be back some time later to explain more to you-"

"Hold on-!" Gary finally managed to get out, flabbergasted to find his ex-girlfriend standing before him looking like she hadn't been sleeping properly for the last few weeks. "You're leaving _me_ to take care of her? Do you realize who you're asking this to?!"

"Gary, please! I know we didn't exactly end on good terms, but when it came down to it, you were the only one I knew who had a good heart to raise her well!"

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," Gary retorted in a disbelieving voice.

"Language, Oak! There's a three-year-old here!"

"And if you leave her with me, she's just going to be learning more of these words!"

"She will not!" the woman fired back with a sharp glare. "Look, I understand this is a huge shock being last minute and all, but it's really complicated right now and I can't stay here too long. I'll come back tomorrow to explain as much as I can, okay?"

"What? No! Take her back!" Gary argued, aggressively handing the child back into the mother's arms. At this attempt, the mother backed away and started to head back to her parked car. Gary lowered the toddler to the ground and took a few steps out the door. "Hilda!" The woman named Hilda reached the door to the driver's seat, hesitating slightly before turning around to face her previous lover. "I don't know _what_ you're thinking by handing her off to me. I _can't_ take care of her! If you're not back by tomorrow to take her back, I'm throwing her out."

Hilda raised the corner of her lips into a sad smile, never moving from her spot. "Love her as you used to love me." Her tender eyes lifted to take a last glance at her daughter staring back at her worriedly from the doorway. "Be a good girl, Evelyn," she said in a low voice. Without a further delay, she hopped into her car, pulling out of Gary's driveway before he could argue any more.

When her car was no longer in sight, Gary shut the door behind him, taking notice of the three-year old standing before him. The two strangers stared at other in silence, each properly taking in the other's appearance for the first time. Despite the huge responsibility Hilda had just given him, he couldn't help but feel somewhat drawn to the little girl in front of him. She closely represented her mother: Her hair the same chestnut color, slightly wavy to her shoulders. A warm mixture of blue green eyes looked up to him in curiosity. Innocence radiated off her, something Gary had lost while growing up. It took him a couple seconds before he realized her small, delicate figure was shaking ever so slightly, and he assumed she must have been scared to death by the previous events.

Gary feigned clearing his throat as to break the silence. "What's your name, Munchkin?"

"Evelyn," the little girl spoke lightly with a sweet and airy tone to her voice. The way she slightly slurred her words indicated that she was still learning how to speak. Gary only hoped his ex had taught the girl enough vocabulary to be able to converse with her. "Mommy said yer name wus Garry."

"That's right," he replied trying to sound playful, but he was sure even a three-year-old could notice the disinterest in his voice.

"Why you not wearing a shirt?" she asked twisting her head in confusion.

The question stunned him for a second. He had completely forgotten he was shirtless while leaving the bedroom. Of course, at that time he was expecting to find a desperate woman in need of his body, so appearing half-naked would've greatly helped to make the situation run smoother for that case. The scenario he was met with instead took him entirely off guard.

Retaining his calm posture, he made an innocent response. "It was getting hot in here." Gary cursed internally after he said that. If taking care of Evelyn meant he had to censor and limited his inappropriate words and actions, he would just about go insane.

"Garry," the girl started, glancing up at his tall figure. "Are you weally gonna throw me out if- if my mommy does not come?"

Gary instantly regretted yelling that out to Hilda, but he didn't expect the three-year-old to be paying that much attention to their conversation in the first place. With a turn of his head to avoid eye contact, he gave a more reassuring answer. "I don't know yet. We'll see what happens when tomorrow comes."

"Okay," Evelyn simply replied. The two met each other's eyes again and Evelyn flashed him a small smile. Gary wasn't expecting this calm of a reply. Normally toddlers would have already been crying and throwing a temper tantrum, but this girl was surprisingly behaving for now- which was a good thing for Gary. He wouldn't know what to do if she started acting up.

He furrowed his eyebrows, intrigued by her response. "Why are you smiling when your mom just left you to some stranger you don't even know?"

The girl's smile widened. "Mommy said I wus gonna stay wit Garry Oak, and dat he would take care of me jus like she did."

"Your mom must be mistaken. It's been a long time since I've been with her, and I'm not the same man I was years ago. I don't know how to take care of a little girl like you."

"Mommy said is not any diffwent dan when you love her. And she said you made her very happy. So I think Garry will do a good job." She smiled again when she finished her statement, bringing Gary to reminisce about his past relationship with Hilda. He was almost moved to tears by hearing this mini Hilda say those words to him. Almost. The Gary Oak he was known for didn't involve portraying such emotions, especially not to a young child. Taking a breath of air to regain himself, he squatted down to Evelyn's height, staring deep into her eyes.

"Let me ask you a question, Evelyn. The person I used to be and the person I am now are two different people. Your mom knew me as someone I'm not at the moment. I have no experience with kids or any sort of serious relationship, and with my job as a Pokémon researcher, I probably won't have a lot of time to even look after you. You don't even know who I am, and there's no telling when I could hurt you. After all, we're still strangers. Answer me honestly. For who I am as an individual right now, do you like me?"

**x – x – x **

"Yes," a sweet voice replied. "I've liked you for so long. Of course I'll go out with you." The orange haired woman wrapped her arms around the man's neck and hugged him tightly. The black haired man closed his eyes being in a state of bliss as the woman of his dreams clutched onto him. His arms naturally pulled her closer to him, never wanting to release his grasp.

After twelve years of friendship, Ash Ketchum had finally been able to settle down from his travels, and it was at this time that he mustered up enough courage to confess his feelings to Misty Waterflower. The newly found couple pulled away from their embrace just enough to see each other's face. When the two were children, Misty had been known for being a couple inches taller than Ash. Now that both had grown throughout their teenage years, Ash had definitely become to look more like a young adult. He stood taller than Misty, looking deep into her eyes of truth.

Carefully caressing the side of her cheek with his finger, he leaned his head in, softly pressing his forehead against hers and glimpsed down to her slightly opened lips. He uttered just low enough for Misty to hear, "May I…?" Misty nodded and their lips met without further hesitation.

Misty felt herself lose sense of reality by the way Ash managed to kiss her lips so gently. It was twelve years of love finally being released. The sweet taste of his lips as they moved slowly over hers felt so right. He seemed almost too experienced for this to have been his first kiss. Misty pushed aside that thought; it didn't take too much effort to do so, for she was lost amongst her thoughts when her partner slipped his tongue in her mouth. It didn't matter that it wasn't their first. All that mattered was that they finally settled in each other's arms.

"Umm," Evelyn answered after a long silence of trying to take in Gary's lengthy speech that was clearly not comprehendible for a three-year-old. "I dunno what you said… but…"

"Misty…" Ash spoke softly when their lips finally pulled apart.

"Garry," Evelyn started slowly.

"I want…"

"…to be…"

"Close to you…" the two said from their own distant locations. "Forever and always."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hope the ending made sense as I was trying to parallel the characters' lives haha. I have a pretty bad habit of starting new stories, but if it'll help to get the writing mood back, I'll do it ;D Some of my inspiration came from a song entitled "Close to You" by niki. The one sung by Namine Ritsu is especially powerfully emotional and the source of my inspiration for this story.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Welcome to the first official chapter of Close To You! I'd like to thank everyone who has made it this far hahaha. Some sections may seem a bit too descriptive or slow-paced for your taste, but I'm really trying to capture the moment and build up characters and relationships, (and because this story actually has a plot. Whaaaat? xD) so enjoy the moments if you can! If FanFiction had a Slice of Life category, this story would definitely be included in there :)

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Chapter 1

She never fucking came.

Gary let out an exasperated sigh before taking yet another glance at the oven clock. 5:24 PM. Logically, if Hilda were to show up at all it would've been _before_ it started getting dark out. Having not received any word from her yet started to make Gary frantic. What was he going to do with this child? He couldn't possibly throw her out on the streets. Besides it being illegal and having him thrown into jail, he couldn't find it in his heart to do such a thing. Did this mean he had sincere feelings after all? _No, of course not! Come on, Gary! Get it together! The only reason you're feeling this way is because she's a baby! Everyone goes gaga over a child under the age of five! _

With a shake of his head he refocused his attention to the dinner he was making, scooping a spoonful of tomato sauce onto a small serving plate of spaghetti noodles. He was a surprisingly good cook, when he wasn't lazy that was. After all, he did live alone in a huge mansion paid for with the earnings from his own successful research; and with no one there to serve him meals, he relied on his own cooking to survive. Pokémon Researching was a job that never took "breaks". Since he was his own boss, work was anywhere and everywhere at any time. You never just stopped researching when the weekend came. So when Gary did have time to relax, it was usually spent by going out to clubs, bars and releasing his stress and desires through women. He played hard, but he worked hard too. What a life.

Gary quickly mixed the sauce and noodles together and set the dish in front of Evelyn kneeling on the chair at the dinner table. The toddler's stared at the food hungrily, taking her nearby fork into hand, ready to stab it into her food.

"Have you had spaghetti before?" Gary asked to break the silence.

"Mhm!" Evelyn responded. "Mommy made it for me."

"But is hers as good as mine?" he added with a smirk.

"Mommy is da best cook in da world!" she exclaimed in happiness, throwing her arms into the air.

Gary couldn't help but let out a chuckle at her reaction. "Hey! You don't know that yet! Wait until you try Gary's cooking!" He suddenly realized he was getting caught up with Evelyn's positive energy and quickly returned to a frown while bringing his own plate of spaghetti to the table. He couldn't let himself become attached to this child.

They sat opposite one another on a table built for ten. Gary was aware that the seats were never completely filled with ten people, but hell; if he could afford it why not just buy it in case of parties or just to look that rich. Gary noticed how Evelyn stared at him with a fork in hand, not having touched her food yet. As soon as he started eating, she followed after him with a wide grin on her face. Being a three-year-old though, she struggled to make the noodles stay on her fork, scooping them up only to have them slip through the gaps once she pulled the fork too high. Gary admitted it was quite entertaining to watch her struggle, but he didn't want to take the time to help her eat. That would be bonding time with her, and he reminded himself again that he didn't want to become attached to the child. After countless futile attempts, Evelyn managed to nibble on a few strands at a time using her fork, but it wasn't long before she resorted to using her small hands to eat the messy dinner.

"Do you even know how to eat spaghetti with a fork?" Gary laughed, not being able to hold it in anymore.

"Mommy helped me eat it. But is hard by myself," the little girl replied, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. Gary noticed she was getting her clothes dirty, but he didn't bother telling her to stop wiping the sauce with her sleeves. He merely sighed and continued with his own dinner. They continued eating in silence, but it didn't feel too awkward since they were both were focused primarily on eating.

"So, what do you think?" Gary questioned when Evelyn finished her small plate.

"What?" the toddler asked back, confused by his question.

"Do you like my cooking?" he rephrased, a bit irritated at the realization that he would probably have to simplify most of his sentences when speaking with her.

"Mm," Evelyn thought, appearing to be thinking very hard at the question, "Yes! But mommy's is better!" She giggled at her statement.

"What? No way," Gary said playfully. "Then I guess I'll have to do my absolute best to make mine way better than hers." He grinned proudly at the end of his sentence, to which she giggled louder. And then he quickly realized again… _Fuck, am I enjoying this? I shouldn't be. I don't have time for this. _He rose out of his chair, putting on another forced poker face and started to walk toward the window which provided a wide view of the front yard.

"Where you goin'?"

"To see if your mom is here yet."

The look of worriment never left her small, round face, as Gary answered her, as if she disbelieved herself that her mother wasn't coming back for her.

"You gonna wash dishes?" she asked spotting the two empty plates still at the table.

"Leave 'em at the table. I'll do them later." Gary replied, never taking his gaze away from the window.

"I wanna do!"

Gary raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You know how to wash dishes?"

"Mommy teached me!" she replied with a wide smile that revealing her baby teeth.

"Just don't hurt yourself then, kid."

He couldn't help but watch the little girl as she hopped out of her seat and pushed her chair against the sink. She quickly rushed back to the table, picking up the delicate plate with both of her tiny hands. Then she grabbed Gary's empty plate and placed it in the sink gently.

Deciding that the chore would give Evelyn something to occupy her with, he make his way toward the window pane, being sure to examine every spot outside, but Hilda was still nowhere to be seen. Where in Arceus's name was she? Gary scratched at his head, trying to come up with any reason as to why she hadn't come yet, and then realized who he had left the chore of washing dishes to: a three-year-old kid.

At the sound of the kitchen sink running, he went back to the kitchen to spot Evelyn standing on top of the chair, both hands on the bottle of soap as she poured it over the sponge. Gary tried not to look too interested in her; because he wasn't. He just didn't want her to break any of the porcelain dishes. Gary strode over to Evelyn, standing beside her against the sink. He peeked at her from the corner of his eyes, trying to look casual.

"At least you know what you're doing," he commented as she placed the soap bottle back on the counter and grabbed the soap-enriched sponge.

"Yes, 'cuz mommy teached me!" she repeated happily rubbing bubbles onto the plate in front of her.

"Taught," Gary corrected her. He wasn't a grammar Nazi, but he might as well have taught her the right way of English. "It's 'mom taught me'. Not teached."

Evelyn merely looked up to him; her scrubbing had slowed and her attention remained on Gary's figure, trying to comprehend what he was trying to tell her. Gary almost rolled his eyes at her processing his sentence. All hell knew he was impatient, and trying to thoroughly explain himself was just a waste of time in his opinion. He wished he had never made that small comment on her grammar; because now it seemed that Evelyn wasn't going to continue washing dishes until she figured out what he meant. Not wanting to distract her any more, he decided to rephrase his sentence.

"Say the sentence again. 'Mom taught me'".

"Mommy taught me," she repeated after him carefully. Gary gave her a satisfied nod of approve to which Evelyn's eyes lit up and her smiled brightened even more, reaching the corners of her eyes. A giggle escaped from her tiny mouth, but it was obvious she was trying to keep it subtle. Gary wondered how such a little kid could be so happy all the time. Honestly, what was there to be so freaking happy about?

When he saw that the plate was covered with soap, he reached out a hand toward her. "Here, I'll rinse it," he offered. It wasn't like he was enjoying it; in fact he knew just how clumsy kids were when it came to handling anything with their hands. It was like every object they held in their hand was soapy galore and just waiting to be dropped and flung in every which direction. Then he realized, since she was the one with the soapy sponge, the chances of her dropping the dishes were higher, but at least he could keep an eye on her. Wait… that was exactly what he didn't want to end up doing in the first place. Gary almost face palmed himself at the thought.

"I wanna do it," the little girl pleaded with a disappointed look- _for once, _Gary thought.

"Come on, we'll do it together." He gave her that signature grin that made every girl give into him. Apparently it worked on her too because she slowly handed him the soapy plate. He gently took the plate into his hand and turned the faucet toward him to properly rinse it. The two watched each other do their duties, as if one slip up from either of them would result in a great misfortune.

"You really like your mother," Gary noted setting the first plate on the drying rack. "How come you never talk about your father?"

Evelyn slowly handed him the next plate ready to be rinsed. She started washing a glass cup that was already sitting in the sink before, but remained silent while she did so. At this point, Gary couldn't figure out if she simply couldn't understand what he was saying or if she was trying to figure out how to reply back. "He's scary" she finally said. At this statement, the older man involuntarily turned his head to look at the young girl. He would have never guessed this adorable little toddler would be scared by her father. Wait a minute… did he just think of her as adorable? He decided not to press her further in case any painful memories she may have had was brought back by the thought. Evelyn passed him the washed cup and he began to rinse it off meticulously.

"Garry…?" she started.

"What?"

"Where is your mommy and daddy?" A piercing sound came from below Gary. He noticed Evelyn's eyes drop to his hands and a soft gasp escaped her mouth. A sudden pain stung from his hands and he looked down to see the glass cup he was rinsing fractured at the bottom of the sink. His hands were now covered with tiny cuts from the sharp broken glass; the blood already starting to slowly seep out.

"Aw fuck!" he growled at the mess but then remembered Evelyn was standing in the room next to him. He noticed the prominent look at fear overtake her figure. "Oh shit. Sorry Evelyn," Gary started before catching himself again. "Dammit!" he said in a low tone, only to realize he couldn't say anything to express his anger without swearing, making him exhale a long breath through his nose as he drew his bloodied hands up to support his head. He rested his elbows against the counter and let his head drop to his hands, ashamed to look at Evelyn.

"Please, kid just… can you leave me alone?" he uttered in a low voice. The little girl obeyed, giving him a last concerned look before scampering away from the kitchen.

**x – x – x**

She rushed into the first door on the top of the stairs to find Misty in front of her body sized mirror adjusting the kimono to her fit. "Wow, two dates in a row?" She walked over to Misty's bed and took a seat, holding the sash to Misty's kimono in her hands.

"You know, May, this shouldn't be a surprise seeing as we've felt this way for over twelve years now!" Misty stated back at her best friend who then handed her the sash. The orange haired, twenty-one-year old paced back and forth in her large bedroom while her best friend, May, sat comfortably on the bed.

"I'm aware," May assured, "It's just that you guys have felt this way for _over twelve years _but because both of you were so damn shy, you've never done anything about it. Now that you're finally together, you're really spending every damn moment with each other."

Misty spun around in her completed kimono outfit, checking for any flaws in her body sized mirror. "Of course! I know it took forever, but the important point here is that we're together now." She turned around and gave a smile to her best friend with dreamy eyes. "And will be forever and always."

May tried to hold back her laughter, but the huge grin that appeared on her face gave her away almost immediately. "Whaaat?" Misty almost squealed placing her hands upon her hips and making a pouting face.

"That was, like, the corniest thing I've ever heard you say!" May burst into laughter, falling back onto her best friend's bed. The redhead rolled her eyes and tried not to let her embarrassment show.

"Oh come on, you know that's how everyone is when they're in love."

"Yeah," May snorted. "Only stupid girls do that!"

Misty gave her a cunning smirk, raising an eyebrow like she knew a juicy secret. "Are you calling yourself stupid?"

"I am _not_ lovey dovey, girl! You are!"

"Funny, because by the way you act around Drewy boi, I would say you're lovey dovey too!"

At the mention of Drew's name, May fiercely rose to a sitting position and glared at her best friend, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "We-" but before May could get out a single word, Misty cut her off sharply.

"Save it, May. I'm your best friend. You can't hide this from me."

"Well, dam—"

"Come on," she insisted, enunciating every word. "We all know you two are head over heels over each other. Why aren't you two going out yet? Hell, why aren't you two married yet? And don't you dare try to deny this. I mean, what are we? Thirteen again?" Misty proceeded to take the light messy curls she had created to pull it back into a messy bun.

"I would say the same thing about you," the brunette retorted seriously. "I mean, _everyone_ knew you two were the 'perfect couple', the OTP, the canon shipping. Then why the hell did it take twelve freaking years to make this happen?!"

Feeling slightly offended, Misty turned her glance away from May, giving more attention than needed to doing her hair. "What's got your panties in a bunch?"

May softened, feeling guilty of her sudden outburst. "Sorry, it's just… I don't know. It's not like I talk about this openly with anyone." She pulled her knees close to her chest. "True, Drew and I flirt a lot…" Misty smiled at this fact and May saw it from the mirror, but quickly scrunched her face and shook her head. "That doesn't mean anything if we've been stuck at that stage for years. There's something stopping him from asking me out. Maybe he likes someone else."

"Um, girl. The boy goes out of his way to give you thorn less roses, flirts with you about meaningless topics, compliments you, which is something pretty rare for him, and teases you like there's no tomorrow. If those aren't obvious enough signs, then I don't know what is."

"Then why hasn't he asked me out yet?" May said with a harsher tone in her voice. Misty wished she had never brought up the topic. She was far too excited about her own date tonight to be dwelling upon May's relationship troubles. But, May sounded like she was in desperate need for some advice and that this issue had been circling in her mind for a long time with no one to confront it to. "It can't be because he's afraid of being rejected. Like you said, we aren't thirteen anymore. We're past all that premature teenager love."

Misty turned around, her slim body coveted by the luminescent radiance of her deep violet kimono. She gave May a friendly, concerned look to let her know she was thinking of her. "No matter how much we age, when it comes down to it, love makes us all act like giddy, premature teenagers. That's just how it is."

May gave her a long stare, not being able to handle that fact. "As to why Drew hasn't asked you out yet," Misty continued, "I don't know. But I'm not going to start making assumptions."

May sighed. "Okay, well at least you're being honest." She let out another breath of air and collapsed back onto the bed.

"Tell you what. Tomorrow we'll go Drew stalking and guy hunting."

May's face lifted slightly. "Fine," she merely replied, suppressing her excitement.

"Do I look good?" Misty asked a final time before grabbing her side bag. May didn't even have to look at her to reply back. "You always do." There was almost a hint of jealously in her voice. Misty peered at her best friend from within her mirror, noticing the slight tenseness in her reply. She couldn't catch her face since May had turned to face the other side, but suddenly felt a tinge of worriment for her. With a repressing surge of emotions, she eyed the body standing in front of her, which she admitted to her heart that she was beautiful. How long had it been since she had really looked at herself? Not just at her appearance, but as a self-reflection of who she was becoming. Finally being able to lay eyes on her entity, she almost gasped at the woman she was staring at. Being in love truly made you want to feel even more beautiful than what you believed you were, but it also made you self-conscious to if the person you were becoming was what you truly wanted. Misty unbelievably placed a gentle hand on the cold mirror which immediately brought shivers to her spine as her eyes locked with her own within the mirror.

**x – x – x**

Cold brown eyes stared back at him, examining the murkiness that lingered within them. Frigid water droplets slid off the locks of his messy hair from when he carelessly splashed cold bathroom sink water onto his face and slicked back his hair. He breathed out heavily and then shut his eyes tightly, ashamed to look at his own self in the mirror for too long. Seriously, he was going to corrupt that little girl. She didn't deserve that kind of lifestyle, and Gary knew he wouldn't be able to provide her the life she needed. Why the hell did Hilda choose him out of all people to look after her daughter?!

At that instant, it had occurred to Gary that Hilda had mentioned that she included a note with information about the current situation. Due to all the stress and last minute-ness of it all, he had completely forgotten about the note. At this thought, he left the bathroom and approached Evelyn's room, formerly one of the many guest rooms in the mansion. He immediately went to search for it in the bags that came with Evelyn. There were so much child care supplies that he literally had to dig around forever to find the single note. He started taking out the supplies, being sure not to make a mess and finally stumbled upon a piece of white paper hastily folded into two halves. Gary grabbed at the paper, unfolding it at once as his eyes darted towards the words sloppily written on the page in black ink.

_Gary, _

_I know that no matter how many times I apologize, you won't forgive me for leaving a little girl who's not even yours in your care. That's right. She's not yours. But believe me when I say that out of all the people I could think of to take her, you were the best option. Crazy, right? You see, we're in a major situation here. Evelyn's father has been involved in some… bad business. I can't reveal much now, but I have faith that you'll guide Evelyn to a beautiful future. Let her dream big and reach for the stars… show her the reality of this world and bring her down to earth… teach her what it means to be human… and show her what it means to genuinely love someone. I know you won't fail me. _

_-Hilda_

The brunette read the note twice... thrice… and a fourth time. Hilda didn't give him much information at all; just constantly telling him to take care of her child. And all Gary was interested in at the moment was what was so bad with their lives that she resorted to giving him the kid to care for. He doubted Evelyn knew anything was going on, so asking her was out of the question. Then again… she _was _a smart girl for her age. But after what had happened between them in the last hour, he didn't expect her to tell him much anyways.

Setting the note aside, Gary slowly brought his bandaged hands to a light clenched position and then released it. The pain from the broken glass cup was still there, but fortunately no glass had made its way into his flesh. There were only surface scratches from the impact. He let out a deep sigh, wondering how he ever got into this situation in the first place and then raised his eyes to the ceiling, as if it held all the answers.

He wasn't aware that from behind the bedroom door, Evelyn had tip-toed her way to check up on him. She remained hidden but peeked out her small head just enough to see the desperation on his face. He seemed irritated and worn out… and in Evelyn's mind, she believed it was because of her. She couldn't understand why he felt that way, but she didn't want to be hated by Gary. Was it something she did? Something she said? Or simply because she had appeared in his life? Seeing the distressed look on his face gave her enough of a hint that he wasn't content with her being there.

Evelyn whimpered softly and backed away from the door. She made sure that her footsteps were light as she retracted from the bedroom, and then scurried off in some random direction within the huge mansion with tears forming in her eyes.

**x – x- x**

She ran as fast as her legs could carry her in that tight kimono she was wearing. In the distance was her lover, also wearing a festive kimono that was to say, a tad bit manlier.

"Ash!"

Ash turned around at the sound of his name, a wide smile spread across his face at the sight of Misty running toward him. The man waved and then started forward to meet her.

"Hey, Misty!" he called out to her before pulling her into a tight embrace. "You look…" Ash stumbled to find the right word as he stared at her whole image, "… really nice." He managed a shy smile; a faint blush had found its way to his cheeks.

"Thanks Ash," Misty smiled at his shyness. "You look nice as well." She took his hand into hers and urged him towards the more active part of the festival. "Shall we go?"

It was like all of his shyness from before suddenly faded. "Of course! Hey, let's go get some of that amazing takoyaki!"

"Still always thinking about food, eh?"

"Not always," he insisted but then thought about it for a moment, "Well, maybe always." Misty giggled playfully and they immediately headed for the food stalls where people were shouting and promoting out their products. The couple didn't have to wait too long in the line for takoyaki. Within a few minutes they walked off with a tray full of deliciously steaming takoyaki. Ash immediately took his chopsticks and gulfed down a ball of takoyaki.

"Ack! Hot! Hot! Hot!" he yelped while breathing out rapidly to cool the food in his mouth. Misty laughed at his reaction and then grabbed her own chopsticks to pick up the takoyaki. Unlike Ash, she blew onto the piece of food instead of immediately eating it. "That's what you get for immediately stuffing it in your face" she stuck out her tongue at him.

Ash finally managed to swallow his food after it being at a tolerable temperature. "Ahh~ Worth it! Soooo good!" he said with an eager smile to stuff more in his mouth, but Misty lightly pressed her other hand down on his arm before he could take the next bite. "Eh? Mist, hey-" he began but Misty interrupted him by shoving her cooled takoyaki near his face. Ash's eyes flickered between the takoyaki and her baby blue eyes staring up at him, unsure how to react being taken off guard.

"I've already blown on it so it won't be so hot," she said softly. Ash leaned forward and Misty happily fed the takoyaki to him. He diverted his eyes ever so slightly, feeling a blush rise to his cheeks as he chewed slowly.

A couple seconds later, Misty broke into a cheerful smile and placed both her hands behind her back. "Hey, I wanna try some!" Ash fumbled with the chopsticks, but managed to pick up another takoyaki and held it out in front of her mouth.

"Not even going to blow on it?" she asked sweetly.

"Oh, whoops. Sorry Mist," Ash chuckled nervously. He was just about to blow on the food when Misty caught him while his lips were still in an "o" shape and kissed him softly, taking him off guard once again.

"Don't sweat it Ash," she smiled and ate the takoyaki still cooling from the chopsticks he was holding. Ash felt his heart skip a beat. How the hell was she so good at surprisingly him with all that fluff? He looked at her perfect figure and she gave him a reassuring look. Together they shared a smile and felt as ease again. After being friends for over twelve years, taking a step into the romance was new and different for the two, but nothing they couldn't handle.

The hours flew by as they continued to grab more food, laugh, talk and dance to the festive music provided there. Both were reminded of their first festival they ever attended together back when they were ten years old. Twelve years later, here they were, still together and closer than ever before. It was like a dream come true.

After a long night of celebrating, the two collapsed onto a bench on the outskirts from the main activity.

"Wow," Misty breathed out as she tilted her head back from exhaustion. "I can't remember a festival being this fun!"

"Me neither," Ash agreed. He tilted his head back to look at the night full of shimmering stars. Despite the beautiful overnight scenery in front of his face, he turned his neck to look at the beautiful women sitting beside him and continued to stare at her, taking in her appearance. He had never really looked at Misty as an actual lover until recently when he had gotten into a fight with his ex-girlfriend.

Misty noticed him and started to feel self-conscious. "Ash, you're staring at me."

"Oh, I am?" Ash answered nervously. "Well, because you're so beautiful to look at, that's why." He raised a cute smile and Misty twitched at the reply. Since when was Ash such a sweetheart? The last time they saw each other in person, Ash was the most oblivious person when it came to love. And even now he was still shy from time to time. But obviously whatever previous girlfriend had gotten through his head had made him a bit more conscious of the feeling, thank god.

"Thank you, Ash. Today was so much fun. It's made me so tired…" Misty stated.

"Me too," Ash wrapped a hand around Misty's shoulder and they leaned closely together for what felt like an eternity. Although the noise from the festival lingered nearby and the night was active with Pokémon, the two felt as if they were the only ones there at that moment. After twelve years, they could finally be wrapped in each other's arms and shut out the world around them; to remain embraced in the security of their own existence. It was like they could fall asleep, never to be woken up or disturbed from their world of peace.

**x – x- x**

He didn't remember when he had fallen asleep, or that he had even fallen asleep in the first place. All he remembered was thinking about what to do with the little girl, and that must have been when he drifted off. Gary's eyes suddenly shot open at this thought. Evelyn! He frantically searched around him for the girl, but instead of seeing Evelyn, his eyes caught sight of the bedside table clock. 8:17 PM! At this, he immediately jumped to his feet about to go search for Evelyn, only to stumble from his weakened limbs. After all, he had just woken up. His vision began to static, preventing him from going anywhere. He rested a hand upon his head and leaned against the bed to steady himself, staying in that position until he could regain clarity of his vision again. _Dammit! I can't believe I slept for that long. Where is that kid, anyways? It must be past her bedtime… shit I'm worrying about her again. But not because I want to-!_

He tried so hard to convince himself that he wasn't concerned for the girl, but couldn't help but feel like he had to at least look after her while she was staying in his house. Once he felt settled, he hoisted himself up and left to go find her.

The first place he checked was the kitchen. It was the last place he had seen her, but Evelyn wasn't anywhere in sight. He quickly made his way to the living room and checked every hiding spot he could think of, but again she was nowhere to be seen. He decided to search every one of the rooms in the house inspecting under the bed, the depths of the closets and anywhere else a three-year-old was capable of hiding. It was when Gary had searched all the guest rooms that he began to get flustered about where she wandered off to. He tried not to show it, but internally, his heart was pounding slightly faster, wondering what he would say to Hilda if Evelyn was nowhere to be found. She would probably yell his ears off. Losing a child on the first day? What kind of babysitter was he? Gary shook his head. He wasn't a babysitter. He couldn't even properly take care of his own self, let alone this three-year-old girl. Just where in Arceus's name was she? Sweat was starting to form as droplets on his hairline. He raised a hand to wipe it off and then bit his lip, trying to think of any place he could have missed. Why was she hiding in the first place? Unless he just missed her when he was moving from room to room…?

Gary let out a defeated sigh.

Everything was too silent in the huge house.

"Goddammit!" he shouted in fury, slamming a fist into the nearby wall. Yup. He truly was going to corrupt this little girl.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Maybe Gary was just trying to save himself the embarrassment, but he came to realize that maybe, just maybe, he would have a better chance of finding Evelyn if he called out her name. But would she even hear? Would she even respond to him? Feeling helpless, he decided to speak up; it was worth a chance after all. He took a moment to calm himself. Clearing his throat, he called out in an uneven voice, "Evelyn?" He took a couple steps down the stairs. "Evelyn?" he repeated louder. "Where are you?" When he reached the bottom, he looked around once more. The entire house appeared as dead as ever. He tried not to make his imaginative thoughts wander, but they seemed to do that on their own. What if someone came and kidnapped her while he was asleep? Had she gotten lost within the house? Injured herself and passed out? At this rate, he would never be able to find her!

Just then, he heard a soft hiccup come from within a nearby coat closet. Gary froze at the sound as he felt the air around him freeze. His eyes then darted to the closet and stared at it intently. He inhaled softly, held his breath and slowly opened the closet door to peer inside. As light filled in the darkness in the closet, he could make out a small figure huddled in the corner. Evelyn.

He let out his breath in relief. "There you are." His face softened as the two locked eyes. But in doing so, he had also noticed how Evelyn's eyes quickly flickered around the confined closet space. "What are you doing hiding in there? I was looking everywhere for you," he asked in a concerned tone; he wasn't raising his voice, only making his question clear for her to understand. Evelyn remained silent, huddling her knees closer to her body. Gary could tell she was trying to avoid his gaze, but every so often her eyes would curiously flash over to him.

"Evelyn?" Gary tried again and took a step forward. Immediately, Evelyn cowered back, biting her lip as if something terrible would spill from her lips if she didn't. Gary froze at her reaction and then returned to his previous position, worried that she would start crying and screaming if he proceeded any further; and then how would he handle calming her down? She wasn't like all the women he screwed around with. She was an innocent child, and he wouldn't be able to leave her whenever he wanted to like he did with those women.

Gary pressed on, being careful not to sound frightening. "Okay, I'm not sure what happened, but why don't you come out of the closet now and I'll help you get ready for bed?"

Despite his kind proposition the child shook her head violently, refusing to move from her spot in the corner. This left Gary dumbfounded, and he struggled to find the next set of words to say.

Exactly what had happened in the last two hours that had caused her to behave this way? He hoped it wasn't because of the scene when they were washing dishes. The thought of it made him want to punch the wall next to him. Again.

He couldn't handle taking care of a three-year-old when he didn't even know how to. Having to carefully filter his words and actions was too much for Gary to think through. He was more of a person who acted in the moment, and adapting to a new style wasn't worth it for Evelyn's sake. But this time. Just this once. Gary Oak would do something that the public rarely saw him do.

Gary counted to three in his mind (he needed the extra push otherwise he would have backed out), and then knelt forward on one knee and extended a friendly hand out. "Evelyn," he started softly, "What's wrong?"

The child finally looked over and burst out of the corner and into his arms at the sight of his sincerity. Gary was taken aback and almost fell over from her ramming into his arms but he luckily managed to catch himself. Evelyn tried to muffle the sound of her crying by hiding in his chest. The warmth of her delicate body startled him; he didn't expect her to be so light, so fragile, and so full of life. His hands hung out awkwardly around her, almost afraid to touch this angel sent to him. When finally he felt wetness from the tears on his shirt, he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Shhh," Gary hushed, patting her back gently. It wasn't that no one ever saw him being kind. But no one ever saw _the_ Gary Oak genuinely caring for another human being. There was a difference when he was being a flirt, and when he actually cared. "What's the matter, Evelyn?"

Evelyn choked on her sob while trying to get the words out of her mouth. "I-I… I d-don't…. I don't want Garry to throw me away!" She burst out into another full out sob and hid her face in Gary's chest. Gary's heart almost sank as her words echoed in mind.

All this time he had assumed she was a happy-go-lucky child who was ridiculously cheerful all the time. But there was one thing Gary had overlooked; at the root of it all, Evelyn was human and needed nurturing more than anything in the world right now. Here she was trying to keep herself strong after being left by her mother, being afraid of her father, and being in the middle of a family crisis; and despite all that she still tried her best to make Gary happy. And the one thing that she was worried about was him throwing her out of the house.

Gary pulled her closer to him and stroked her soft, warm brunette hair; he was quite experienced with women after all, and even though Evelyn was no woman, he could at least comfort her in a similar fashion. At least this time, there was sincerity to it.

After a couple minutes of staying silent and listening to Evelyn's sobbing, Gary pulled her an arm's distance away and studied her porcelain face. "Evelyn…" he uttered softly. "Evelyn… Evelyn" he repeated, each time a little bit louder to grab her full attention. "Evelyn. Look at me." Finally, she lifted her face from her sobbing and looked at him through her teary eyes as the tears trailed down her cheek. She hiccupped and sniffled, trying to control herself but she couldn't help but break out crying as she stared back. The two managed to make direct eye contact and remained that way until Gary broke the silence.

"Evelyn, listen to me." He firmed up his grip on her arms, but was careful not to hurt her. "I am not going to leave you, okay? I will not throw you away."

Evelyn stared at him in disbelief and then bit down on her bottom lip, still quivering ever so slightly.

"I-I don't want you to lie to me," she said through her sniffles. Gary felt trapped. This girl was smart enough to see through his words and even himself personally. There was no getting around her. If he tried for a moment to derail her, it would only come back to bite him hard in the end. And this was something Gary could not afford himself to get tangled up with.

With a sigh, Gary slowly blinked to reconfigure himself and loosened his grip on the child. "Okay, girl. I'm done trying to play the role of a good guardian and saying the things everyone expects you to say. I can't do it." He sat up against the wall in defeat, causing Evelyn to settle her cries and look at him in confusion.

"W-what you mean?" she asked. "I want Garry to be Garry."

She crawled over to him and knelt in front of him, wary not to invade on his personal space. He glanced over at her again, clearly still in deep thought. Her eyes had already begun to turn red and puffy, and her nose was still running from all her crying. He noticed the desperation in her shining eyes. How was it that she appeared so happy before? How was it that she was this intelligent already? What did Hilda do to raise her to be so… well behaved? Almost like a perfect child. Gary was convinced that Hilda should have named her Mary Sue when she was born.

"Evelyn, can we try something?"

"Try sumthing?" she questioned.

"Yeah. Give me your pinky."

Evelyn stared at him, not knowing what to do. When Gary held out his pinky finger, Evelyn did the same, and he locked their pinkies together.

"This is called a pinky promise. Can you say that for me?"

"Pinky promise," she repeated slowly while staring intently into his eyes.

"Good. Don't forget okay? Because this is extremely important. Let me know that you won't forget."

Evelyn nodded her head understandingly to Gary's surprise and he took that as a sign to continue.

"Has your mom told you what a promise is?"

The little girl nodded her head again. "She pwomised me dat I would be okay."

Gary took in the girl's words. "Right. And you know how important promises are, right? You should never make a promise that you can't keep."

"Are we gonna make a promise?"

"We are," Gary started and then wrapped his other hand around the locked pinkies in affection. "But since this is a pinkie promise, it's going to be even more important, okay? You absolutely cannot break this promise."

"Okay," she agreed.

Gary took a breath and then hoped that Evelyn would be able to understand the following words that came out of his mouth. "Evelyn, I'm not the best person in this world. Sometimes I do bad things. But for you, I promise you…" he made to look at her in the eyes when he spoke. "… I promise you, that until your mother comes to get you again, I'll take care of you the best that I can. But until that time, we both have to be honest with each other, okay? No lying. Even if you want to lie, don't. We have to tell each other the truth. And also, please just be yourself. And I will be too, okay? Sometimes you'll see me acting silly or funny. But that's okay. Evelyn, if you want to laugh, then laugh. If you feel mad, be mad. If you want to cry… then cry. I don't want you to be scared, but I won't hide anything from you, even if that means it might be a little scary at first. I'll be here to help you through it all. I apologize in advance because I'm still learning too, so I won't be perfect at taking care of you. We'll teach each other though, okay? You teach me… and I'll teach you."

He almost wanted to hide his face from that cheesy speech, but stayed in place with their pinkies locked. Arceus, did she even understand a word he said? He was telling this to a three-year-old!

"Promise…?" Evelyn finally spoke. Gary was unsure if she actually comprehended everything he had just said in one go, or if she had only picked up on certain words. Nonetheless, she had understood enough of it to know they were making a promise. Gary would probably remind her of the details as the days passed. He did, in fact, mean everything he said in that promise. With Evelyn's cooperation being the intelligent girl she was, they could probably manage such a relationship. Gary really hoped so. He couldn't stand changing who he was for another person, but was willing to improve upon himself if he could.

"Promise," he agreed and tightened his grip on their pinkies.

**x – x- x**

They kept their pinkies locked while they gazed at the millions of stars in the sky. It was absolutely peaceful with the warm breeze and the vast open sky in front of them.

"Promise, Ash?" Misty smiled lightly while looking directly into the depths of his eyes.

"It's a promise Misty. There's no way I'm breaking this." He placed his other hand over both of theirs. "Ever," he added for reassurance and they both smiled, huddling into each other's arms again.

"I'm so happy! I want to stay like this forever," Misty whispered.

"Me too." Ash gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Hey, you know the fireworks are starting soon! We should be able to get a really good view from here!"

Misty's eyes lit up. "Fireworks! I haven't seen them up close in so long! I can't wait! And it'll be extra special watching them with you." She gazed lovingly at him, not taking her eyes off of him for even a second. She loved the way his black hair had that messy touch to it and framed his face in a sexy manner. His baby face had matured into an adult's; a look of kindness and determination was written all over it. Misty noticed that Ash's lips were slightly apart, basically inviting her to take them with her lips. But before she did, she wondered which other girls had also kissed his perfect lips, touched his perfect body, and if they were able to be in complete bliss with him. The thought made her hesitate to do anything.

"Ash…" she started to ask, but didn't want to ruin the moment just yet.

"Hm?" Ash replied instantly, leaning in closer until he closed the gap between their lips. Misty never got a chance to finish her sentence. She was enwrapped by his scent, the warmth that radiated from his touch, and his soft lips kissing hers, sending chills everywhere in her body.

"Misty…" Ash whispered her name, taking control and slowly lowering her until she was lying on the bench. He rose slightly to loosen up the sash tied around his waist and then caressed her skin softly. Misty stiffened as his fingers spread open her kimono, revealing more of her skin.

"A-Ash, we're in public…" Misty stated nervously. It was still her first time after all, and she didn't want to take it that far in such an environment. He gave a low chuckle and placed a gentle kiss on her neck.

"I guess we'll save the excitement for later," he said with a wink. The red head blushed and sat up again, resting her head against her lover's shoulder.

"You're still… a virgin right?"

Ash laughed heartedly. "Yes, I am. Don't worry."

"Ah, I wouldn't have minded if you weren't. I'm just a hopeless romantic is all." Her eyes lowered in hopes to avoid his gaze.

"Hey that's all right. I can understand how you would want to save something so special for the right person. That's what makes it special."

Misty smiled. "I'm glad you're so understanding. Thank you Ash. So, do you have any master plans yet or were you thinking of settling down for a bit?

The lover wrapped his arm around Misty's shoulder, pulling her even closer. "Actually, the Pokémon League has provided me with a job that pays enough to sustain myself, and it's the closest I've been to being a Pokémon master right now!"

"A Pokémon master? Are you still chasing after that childish dream?" the girlfriend playfully teased.

"Hey! It's been my dream for so long, there's no way I'm giving up on it now!" Ash's childish excitement caused her to laugh and snuggle into his chest. "Actually…" Ash continued, "There's a nice place at the Pokémon League that I've been thinking of buying. Not too big, not too small, looks nice and homey and it's affordable!"

Misty turned to eye Ash, slightly worried that if Ash moved there, they wouldn't be able to be with each other as often as she would have liked. "Really? That's pretty vague. Judging from your tastes, I wonder how it really looks like." She giggled. "Not that you would be staying at the place much anyways. You're always on the go." Her worries lessened when she saw Ash smile and rub the back of his neck nervously; Misty really hoped he would say what she thought he was going to say.

"I might be rushing this but… I was thinking maybe if things go well, we could live there together- just as a couple for now. You know, and then we'd be able to be with each other more and… I mean- I know you still have responsibilities as a gym leader in Cerulean, but maybe we could work something out and-" Ash trailed off, hoping Misty caught on to what he was trying to say.

The girlfriend bit on her lip to contain her excitement, before throwing herself at Ash, hugging him with all her strength. "Oh Ash! Yes, I would love that so much!"

Life was finally perfect. That was the only thought going through the lovers' mind as they embraced each other for the umpteenth time that day. And as Ash stroked his girlfriend's soft, red hair, her name echoed in his mind. The name that he hoped would continue to be his forever.

_Misty._

_Misty. _

_Misty…_

**x – x – x**

_Garry… _

"Garry~"

Evelyn entered Gary's room in her pink panda pajamas that Gary had helped her into.

"What is it Munchkin?" the brown-haired man replied while sitting atop his bed, turning the page of a magazine containing the latest gossip and dramatic tragedies with today's celebrities- not that he cared much for it; just that he found the articles to be so stupid that they were funny.

"Can you read me story?" Evelyn asked in her sweetest voice.

"I don't have any bedtime stories." He continued flipping through his magazine, but Evelyn wouldn't let the subject go.

"What stories _do_ you have?"

Gary let out a mischievous smirk. "Not age appropriate for you," he replied in a teasing manner.

"Why nottt?" Evelyn whined.

"You won't like it," he continued, his smile growing wider by the second.

"Yes I will!" she insisted, making Gary laugh aloud at her innocence.

"Just go to sleep, girl."

"But mommy reads me story…" she continued with a pouty face.

"I'm not mommy."

"Pweeze," she insisted, gazing into Gary's eyes, her eyes widening as they met intently with his. Gary tried to look away but his eyes kept curiously wavering over to her figure. Her heart shaped lips jutted out in desperation, complementing the cute outline of her face. _Oh come on. Don't make that cute baby face at me…_ It made it impossible to decline.

Gary gave in, irritated that he fell weak to her once again. "Fine. How about I just tell you a story?"

"But I want pictures too!"

_Are you serious?_ Gary frowned at her neediness, but he couldn't be mad at her. She was a child at heart. But how was he going to tell her a bedtime story if he didn't even know how bedtime stories went? It had been years since he was last read a bedtime story… He pondered for a bit before finally speaking. "Here's what we'll do. We'll make a story, and I'll draw the pictures as I tell the story, okay?"

"Will the pictures be pretty?" Evelyn asked worriedly while climbing onto Gary's bed.

"Of course they will!" Gary helped her onto the bed and then searched around for scrap pieces of paper and a pen. Luckily those items were on a nearby desk; he grabbed them with ease, settling himself across from the child. Now to think of a story…

"All right! Now… Once upon a time there lived a loser named… Ash Ketchum!" He started drawing a funny looking boy on the paper in front of him. His art skills weren't the best but at least you could tell what the drawing was.

The little girl tilted her head dramatically to look at Gary's face. "Why is he a loser?"

"You'll see," he replied with another mischievous smirk. "One day, ten-year-old Ash Ketchum was so excited about getting his first Pokémon and travelling the world. In fact, he was so excited that he overslept the next morning and missed out on all the starter Pokémon!"

**x – x – x**

"But if it wasn't for that fact that I had overslept, none of this would have led up to where we are now." Ash grinned, holding his precious angel in his arms as the two gazed at the painted starry sky. From all their excitement, they spent the rest of the night talking, caught up in past memories: memories they shared together and memories they had while separated. Each memory starting with an outburst of "Oh! And do you remember the time when…?" followed by joyful laughter and a shower of light kisses. This game of Remember When continued until it reached the eventful day when Ash Ketchum first started his Pokémon adventure- the day he first met Misty.

"Things sure have changed," Misty commented in retrospect. "It's always so strange how the tiniest flutter can make such a huge difference… how every event lines up one after another and everything is affected by that one instance." She paused and glanced lovingly at Ash. Her cerulean eyes sparkled, mirroring the depths of the night around them. "I could lose you in an instant, before I even knew what was happening."

The lover took Misty's hand into his and squeezed it tight for reassurance. "You're getting too philosophical now, worrying about losing me in your life." Ash gave a big, hearty smile. "I know we just got together and spilled out our feelings from twelve years ago and that's it's taken us this long to be together; but it's here now. _We're_ here now. Our future together won't be taken away from us. And I wouldn't leave you for the world, Misty."

"So you're admitting that you've loved me since the first day we met? Back when you stole my bike?" Misty teased with a smirk. The boyfriend blushed slightly.

"Er- I don't know. I was only ten years old at the time! I wasn't thinking about girls yet!" The two erupted into laughter before Ash recollected himself again and leaned back comfortably. "But really, Misty. Forever and always, remember?"

Misty shook her head lightheartedly but retained a smile. "That's proven through actions and time mister, not words."

"Well then, how's this for actions and time?" Ash challenged and sprung at Misty, capturing her lips with his and wrapping his arms around her petite figure. Misty kissed him back but then quickly tried to push him off of her, not wanting to be defeated in their little game.

"Hey! That's not fair!" she giggled before stepping away from the bench. She returned to her lover, climbing onto his lap and straddling herself in front of him. "You don't get to end all our disputes by making out with me!"

"But it works, right?"

"Aww shaddup," Misty countered while trying to hide her smile, knowing that he was right.

Just as Ash was about to brag his victory, a dazzling red light flew into the sky, capturing his eye and rendering him speechless. The red head noticed his silence and was about to question him when she heard a thundering boom from behind her. She turned her head to see a beautiful design array the midnight blue sky. Another bright light followed after, and then another and another, until the night was exploding with colours displayed in intricate designs and even of various recognizable Pokémon.

"Fireworks!" Ash exclaimed, a wide open smile strewn across his face. Misty shared in the excitement, positioning herself to get a better view. As the two continued to watch the fireworks show, they felt a cordial unity towards each other. Their fingers interlaced as they rested on the bench, silently admiring the beauty of the visual display.

Another whistle sounded as another bright light sailed into the night.

**x – x – x**

Boom! The repeated explosions became more prominent as Gary and Evelyn were in the middle of competing to see who could draw the better Pikachu. As the explosions continued, they both froze to confirm what they were hearing.

"What's that?" Evelyn asked still holding a pen in her tiny hand.

"Sounds like fireworks. I think there's a festival going on here in Pallet," Gary answered with a hint of curiosity.

At this, Evelyn dropped her pen and jumped to her feet. "Can I see?!" she requested, already dancing on the bed in excitement.

The guardian hesitated for a moment so he wouldn't appear as excited as he was actually feeling inside. Since he was curious anyways, he agreed nodded his head. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a look. Come on, we can get a better view from the balcony."

"YAYYY!" The three year old hurriedly slid off the bed wearing a ginormous smile and followed Gary to the nearby door leading to his room's balcony. The warm summer breeze greeted the two at the first crack of the door opening. Stepping onto the spacious balcony, Gary observed the environment around him. He found tranquility with the darkened sky and the breeze that caressed his face. Evelyn spread her arms apart like she was welcoming the world around her. Her eyes closed every so often and she inhaled the fresh air, absorbing the freedom of the outside world.

The fireworks flashed, colouring the infinite canvas with its essence. A small smile crawled upon Gary's face as he gazed into the distance where the event was taking place. Yes, it had definitely been a long time since Gary felt that he was actually living life, experiencing something as simple as fireworks. It was like finding lost treasure. Beside him, Evelyn watched the scene in awe. Her round face seemed to glow, emanating an aura of purity and happiness. What distracted her was that the railings were slightly blocking her view since she was so short. The child lightly tugged on Gary's jeans, grabbing his attention.

"Can I be up too?" Her eyes gleamed with hope. Gary decided that tonight was truly the one night where he would allow himself to act so warmhearted. He carefully picked Evelyn up and sat her on top of the railings. Thankfully the railings were wide enough for her tiny figure to safely sit upon. As a precaution, he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her waist, snuggling her warmly to prevent her from falling. He was sure that no other parent would have done this with their child, but Gary wasn't like most parents. He wanted to break the barrier.

"Wow! So pwetty! Look Garry!" the little girl shouted, pointing at the cascading lights. Her legs swung back and forth rapidly from exhilaration, but Gary's tight hold kept her firmly in place.

Those fireworks ignited new beginnings, second chances, and an opportunity to enjoy the present. Before disappearing into the ether, we soared into the unknown regions. Our limitless desires propelled us forward. Not even the almighty Arceus could have planned out our harmonious relations.

After all…

We were looking at the same fireworks that day, weren't we?

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! I'm really happy that I finally managed to get this next chapter up (even though it took so long)! Hope you're enjoying it so far; I have tons of ideas that'll be presented in the upcoming chapters. I really hope I'll be able to pull it off effectively, ahhh seriously, I start getting these crazy ideas that make me want to cry QAQ haha. On a side note, whenever I think of Gary's balcony, I just imagine Princess Jasmine's balcony xD Thanks for reading!


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